Undertakers weighing up issue of super-sized coffins as 1 in 4 buried are obese

Ireland’s ever-expanding waistline is proving costly for bereaved families, with undertakers noting a rise in orders for oversized coffins.

Funeral directors say the trend is consistent with the country’s well-documented rising obesity levels, with demand for bigger coffins having increased every year for the past decade.

Keith Massey, who runs Rom Massey & Sons funeral directors in Dublin, said more than one in four people he lays to rest are obese — up from one in 10 a decade ago.